7 in. x 10 in. Precision Benchtop Mini Lathe

Whether you’re turning, counter facing or making bushings, spindles, prototypes or models, this precision mini lathe will meet the challenge! With 18 threads, automatic feed and a chuck guard with micro switch, this outstanding ETL listed mini lathe is ideal for use in labs, workshops, engineering and educational settings.

I was a machinist for 26 years & was skeptical of this machine. While I no longer can work in a production enviroment, I can accomplish a lot with this machine. It is...Read complete review

I was a machinist for 26 years & was skeptical of this machine. While I no longer can work in a production enviroment, I can accomplish a lot with this machine. It is capable of excellent precison, but not ready to deliver out of the box. The thing that needs the most attention is adjustment of the gibs. All of them. Carriage gibs I did not use the adjusters but cut shims to adjust. Save your steel strapping from shipping to make misc. shims such as carriage gibs and tooling shims. Even American made expensive machine tools require adjustment and set up. Just expect to invest some time in setup and you will have a excellent preforming machine. One big surprise for me is I can actually make a .040 inch cut in 1 pass for roughing cuts on cold rolled or drill rod with no difficulty. I intially was disappointed with the 3 jaw chuck but with disassembly and cleaning deburing, and proper technique I can achieve repeatable setup within .002 to.003 which is pretty normal for even much more expensive 3 jaw chucks. Be sure when chucking material to progressivly tighten from all 3 chuck sockets to achieve accuracy. You need a 4 jaw chuck for more percision setup or repeatability. Eventually I will add the Mini Mill with full confidence as soon as I can budget it. I probably have between 10 & 15 hours in mods and adjustments, including addition of oil holes to the front and rear bearing blocks for the lead screw. This is my first ever product review, and is intended to be informative and positive. I hope this helps someone make the decision about this machine easier.

VS

Most Liked Negative Review

Great for the price

This is a good little machine when it works as it should, and the support groups online are plentiful and generous amongst the other owners. I've turned, bored, and drilled so many nice...Read complete review

This is a good little machine when it works as it should, and the support groups online are plentiful and generous amongst the other owners. I've turned, bored, and drilled so many nice pieces with this machine from brass and aluminum. I've put a quick change toolpost on it and am using quality toolbits and it works wonderfully within it's specifications.

However, sadly, manufacturing quality control on this particular lathe is lacking. I'm on the 4th one and have had a laundry list of varrying defects across all of them, from off-center chuck to a fried motor on the second use, and faulty power feed. Get the 1yr replacement warranty, it's an absolute must. If you end up with a series of lemons and go out of your 30 day return period, it's worth it for a replacement. And frankly, all of the 7x and 8x lathes are made by the same overseas manufacturer, regardless of the paintjob and the brand stamped on it and what store or website you buy it from. You can end up with problems with this size lathe regardless of where you buy it, so I don't blame HF in the least. I'd rather drive a mile for support than have to pay freight to mail it back or otherwise be stuck with a dead machine.

Do your research and know what you're buying, and be sure to get the proper tool bits from another source--HFs toolbits will get you by but not for the endgame, IMO. Bottom line, it's a great lathe for small jobs and light work and will work well for the beginner or the experienced machinist.

This is a precision machine capable of a great deal. and well worth the money. Are you kidding? About 5600.00 gives you an incredible amount of versatility. HOWEVER-- because it is a variable speed unit, its electronics are its fuse able link. Without the motor speed controller- you have NOTHING.And. I believe that harbor freight has actually accomplished a very high level of customer service regarding replacement parts. They have actually hired a VERY FRIENDLY robot to engage you in conversation during waiting on hold before they disconnect you. So, in the event the motor controller fails, you may as well order yourself a pup-tent, a reliable food supply, an automatic re-dialer, because it will be a cold day down under before you will get anything better than "Sorry" from customer service. Otherwise, a GREAT MACHINE!

I needed a small metal lathe for different projects and making replacement parts. At first I was skeptical that this machine was not accurate or powerfull enough but I am pleased with this machine.The only problem I had was in using carbide cutters instead of hhs, but after designing an offset holder the carbide works great.

I have several of these units and they hold up to years of use. Search on 7 x mini-lathe to find set up tips and how to perform typical operations with this wonderful mini-lathe. I use these units to to demo a dual-pivot radial compound. Its a bolt-on accessory that in effect converts the lathes machining versatility from an Etch-a-Sketch into a Spirograph tool control approach. The attached videos shows how I used Harbor Freight metal lathes to create and test the product.

This Central Machinery 7-x mini-metal lathe with a 7" swing over bed is is a quality machine from the world's largest manufacturer of mini machine tool equipment. Harbor Freight imports thousands of these model which are packed with the same features and quality as the competition at a better price. The 7-x-12 mini-lathe is a versatile unit that can machine nearly all metals and synthetic polymers easily. This type of mini-lathe has the widest selection of accessories and is compatible with a broad range of mini-lathe tooling from 1/4 to 3/8 in size.

However there are some inconveniences with the tool to overcome should you want to perform taper or cut radially across the axis. For instance, to change the angle of the compound, you must fully retract compound lead-screw the and expose bolts to change angle, making it cumbersome to measure and adjust. In addition because the tool-post will not hold tools on center, so you cannot turn convex or concave radius. If you need to frequently perform operations like this, search for a Dream Cutter radial compound or tool-post ball cutter.

I have had this for close to 7 years now and it has done countless jobs for me. I use it for repairs and making small parts from aluminum and steel. I have bored, drilled, faced, and cut off parts. It has saved my butt many times by allowing me to make a repair in-house or allowing me to produce small specialty items for projects. I just wish I had gone for the 7x12" for a little extra money. That extra 2" of bed can really come in handy. You may have to buy tooling elsewhere because HF really doesn't have that much. The Lathe however is one of the best HF tool investments I've made.

Great little machine!!!! i use this machine mainly for prototyping but it has countless uses! the setup of this machine is really clean. the dials are easy to use and the automatic feed works great. everything from the chuck to the tailstock is sraight and true. everything on the machine works great!

I had a need to machine a number of large dowels for display pieces and this machine fit my needs. I hated to spend this much money (even on sale) but so be it. I am very pleased with this lathe, no regrets. My only issue is the speed control which will stall the motor if the speed is too low while under load when drilling. It's easy enough to speed up to where it runs fine and it certainly would not be a deal breaker if I knew this before purchasing. I have not used any machine tools since college in the 70's and it was easy to use. I have ordered cutting tools and accessories from another source. Because I am not allowed to mention their name, I will say it was a 'bear' of a deal. They have a much better selection for accessories.

I was a machinist for 26 years & was skeptical of this machine. While I no longer can work in a production enviroment, I can accomplish a lot with this machine. It is capable of excellent precison, but not ready to deliver out of the box. The thing that needs the most attention is adjustment of the gibs. All of them. Carriage gibs I did not use the adjusters but cut shims to adjust. Save your steel strapping from shipping to make misc. shims such as carriage gibs and tooling shims. Even American made expensive machine tools require adjustment and set up. Just expect to invest some time in setup and you will have a excellent preforming machine. One big surprise for me is I can actually make a .040 inch cut in 1 pass for roughing cuts on cold rolled or drill rod with no difficulty. I intially was disappointed with the 3 jaw chuck but with disassembly and cleaning deburing, and proper technique I can achieve repeatable setup within .002 to.003 which is pretty normal for even much more expensive 3 jaw chucks. Be sure when chucking material to progressivly tighten from all 3 chuck sockets to achieve accuracy. You need a 4 jaw chuck for more percision setup or repeatability. Eventually I will add the Mini Mill with full confidence as soon as I can budget it. I probably have between 10 & 15 hours in mods and adjustments, including addition of oil holes to the front and rear bearing blocks for the lead screw. This is my first ever product review, and is intended to be informative and positive. I hope this helps someone make the decision about this machine easier.

Great value for the money! I was a tool and die maker for years using some great tools like Hardinge lathes. Now retired I needed some small parts, so I purchased this lathe. The accuracy is much better than I expected. I just cut some 13/16-14 threads and it worked great. If you don't abuse it or over work it, you should get a long life from it. Lot's of great features too.

I bought this for a great price and used a gift certificate and even without all those things this Lathe is worth every penny. I wans't sure how often i would use this but now i find myself in my garage using it almost every week at least one day sometimes 2 depending on the project.. It has almost paid for itself considering i would have to buy all the stuff that i made with it. I would recommend this one to anyone on a budget. But if you can afford one of the larger ones than go with that too.. As i am finding the only thing holding me back now is the bed size.

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